Missouri legislation aims to require daily recitation of The Pledge of Allegiance at all grade levels

Updated:
Monday, July 6, 2015 1:44 PM EDT

Missouri schools could soon be required by law to show more patriotism.

Legislation passed by the Missouri House would require students at public schools across the state to recite The Pledge of Allegiance daily.

Patriotism is a value very much instilled at Mark Twain Elementary School in Carthage, MO.

"We are very patriotic and we show that," said Laurel Rosenthal, principal.

Although not currently required by state law, students, kindergarten through 4th grade, recite the pledge, as well as sing a patriotic song, each morning.

"Patriotism is an extreme value at Mark Twain Elementary," Rosenthal said. "We think it's very important to instill that trait in all of our students."

While most elementary schools in our area also recite the pledge each day, many of the upper grades, including Carthage High School, do not.

"The only exception would be the high school, and the high school does that once a week," said Kandy Frazier, assistant superintendent, Carthage School District.

Currently, state law only requires students to recite The Pledge of Allegiance once a week, but if the Senate follows the House in passing the bill, it would become a daily requirement.

"It's a great idea to remind people everyday how lucky we are to be in a free country, and for them to be able to attend school," Frazier said.

Whether the bill passes or not, officials say students will still have the choice to opt out.

"No one is required to recite the pledge," Frazier said. "We respect the decisions and values of families and religion, so we just ask that they be respectful while we're doing the pledge, and we've never had an issue with that."

Those at Mark Twain Elementary say they love the idea of all other schools across the state joining in on their daily gratitude for the red, white and blue.

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